Unicel conversion to Verizon set for May – Customers must switch or lose service

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — As the May 17 deadline bears down for Verizon’s takeover of Unicel, some phone customers are considering their options because their old Unicel phones won’t work on the new network after that date. Judging by the parking lot filled with trucks and cars last week and the line inside, consumers are coming to grips with the encroaching reality of making a decision on their cellular service.
    Verizon has been mailing current Unicel customers information on the upcoming changes to their phone  service about promotions for free phones and how they can keep their phone number. Some are willing to take a leap of faith with the new combined network; others have reservations.
    Last Friday, Bruce Kitchen stopped into Unicel’s Houlton office and said he wasn’t sure about staying with the company after the Verizon takeover. However, he did say he had great confidence in Unicel’s customer service representative, Debbie Silkey “because she is on top of everything.” Kitchen said Silkey’s perspective on what he could expect after May 17, would weigh heavily in his decision to stay with Unicel through the changeover or find another carrier. He said he is dissatisfied with Unicel’s coverage between Linneus and Old Town.
Verizon service upgrades
    Industry giant Verizon, with over 80 million subscribers nationwide, is in the process of integrating the  two wireless networks. And, the updated technology will not accommodate current Unicel phones. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, developed by the U.S. military to code and digitize conversations, is being added to the Unicel towers which corporate spokesperson Michael Murphy says will increase the company’s voice and data network coverage.
    He also says Verizon has been building out its CDMA network across the state for several years by which it will further enhance Verizon Wireless' coverage footprint in Maine benefiting residents, tourists and business travelers.
    Verizon Wireless boasts that it is New England's 3G leader with unmatched 3G coverage across the region and “every new site we are acquiring from Unicel, is being upgraded to a 3G.”  By definition, third Generation or 3G technology enables faster data-transmission speeds, greater network capacity and more advanced network services.
    Murphy says 3G is wireless broadband Internet coverage — essentially a high-speed wireless data network — that allows users to access and download content (like music) directly to their handsets, and to surf the Internet from laptops, wirelessly, at faster speeds.
    Ken Dixon, president of Verizon Wireless' New England Region, says "Verizon Wireless' 3G coverage across New England is unparalleled. Last year's investment of another quarter-billion dollars into New England, significantly increases the 3G network advantage our customers enjoy at home and on vacation."
    Kim Hall, another Unicel customer in the Houlton office last Friday, said she was picking up a new phone for her son and was looking forward to Verizon’s service. After switching from competitor U.S. Cellular, Hall said she was satisfied with Unicel, so far, and hoped for better service along I-95 when Verizon takes over.
Consumer options
    Murphy says a Unicel customer who does not want to wait until May 17 can begin using a Verizon wireless phone or the network by “porting” their service early. However, by porting — keeping the same number with the early switch to Verizon — the customer will only be eligible for a 25 percent discount on a Verizon phone, and not a free phone. If customers stick with Verizon, they can exchange their Unicel phones for free Verizon phones or take a 25 percent discount on another phone of their choice. Some customers are not happy with the choice of phones. And, Unicel pre-paid consumers have the option of transferring their prepaid minutes to a free Verizon phone.   
    A consumer who is not with Unicel or Verizon can also keep their phone number according to Murphy. “Customers of other wireless carriers, or landline providers, can port their number over to a Verizon Wireless phone. With all of the continuing network enhancements we're making in the state we expect to continue to be successful in porting Maine customers over from the competition.”
    Murphy says “we just announced that our 2008 network investment across New England totaled $240 million, increasing our regional network investment to more than $2.4 billion since 2000.”